Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thoughts from a proud Phillies fan...
Somewhere in my bruised sports fan psyche, I believed that this day would never come. Not while I was alive, anyway.
Hell, up until the last strike was registered last night, I still thought the Phillies might lose!
The Phillies are probably the one sports team that I have more invested in than any other. I've watched more of their games than any other pro team, and I've attended more of their games as well.
I've watched this team with my family and my friends during those lengthy periods when the team sucked, and I've relished those fleeting times when they joined the ranks of the MLB elite.
Last night felt like a culmination of all those years, set before me for two incredibly gratifying and glorious hours.
A great friend of mine didn't live long enough to see this incarnation of the Phillies play, but he would've been more impressed and more proud of them than anybody else.
To me, that's why a team like this means so much to a town like Philadelphia, where championships are few and far between. They make you remember not only your own experiences as a fan, but all the people who came before you and shared that love and the hope that this year could be "the year".
For my part, I'm going to enjoy the high that comes from seeing 25 years of futility come to a close. I'm going to smile with pride as I watch the people of Philly enjoy the time in the sun that only comes from being #1.
Even more than that, though, I'll remember what this team meant to me as a kid and the sheer joy of listening to the immortal Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn call games on TV and radio during the height of the summer months.
It sounds cheesy, but I can't help it. That stuff will always work for me...
My eternal thanks and gratitude to the guys that made this kid's dream come true...
THE WORLD CHAMPION 2008 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES!!!
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